Hospice

Rev. Mitsuo “Mits” Aoki, a pioneer of Hawai‘i’s hospice movement and founder of the University of Hawaii School of Religion, passed away in August 2010. This film from 2003 highlights his own transformative near-death experience; his therapeutic work with terminally-ill cancer patients; the death of his wife Evelyn; and thoughts about his own mortality. For over 40 years, Rev. Aoki attempted to take the terror out of dying, and showed others how to experience death as not just the end of life, but as a vital part of life, as well.

Visit Strathcarron, a Scottish hospice center where patients face pain, uncertainty and the possibility of life’s end with song and humor. Hear tunes belted out by patients and caregivers alike between reflections on life, love and mortality.

What can we do to avoid a caregiver crisis? Most of the 150,000 caregivers in Hawai‘i are women over 50 years old, and many are caring for someone in their 80s. Nearly half have left the workforce to be a caregiver, leaving their financial future at risk. With Hawai‘i’s aging population, the pool of potential caregivers declines so significantly that we are headed for a crisis with each passing year. Families, businesses and our entire island state will be impacted by the economic trend this creates.

AARP Hawai’i is hosting a Caregiving Conference on Saturday, March 25th. There will be sessions on planning, long-term care and life insurance, reverse mortgages, Medicaid and other government programs.

There will also be tips for improving quality of life at home. Saturday, March 25th, from 8 am until noon at the Japanese Cultural Center.

For the 12th time since 1998, Hawai‘i lawmakers will consider legislation on physician-aid-in-dying. Should the current House bill pass, Hawai‘i would become the seventh state in the country to legalize this controversial end-of-life alternative for people suffering from terminal illness.

Hawai‘i House Bill 201 allows a terminally ill adult with the capacity to make an informed healthcare decision to request a prescription for aid-in-dying medication from their attending physician to facilitate a peaceful death.

On the next INSIGHTS, strong arguments will be made for both sides of this debate currently being heard by our state lawmakers. Will Hawai‘i be the next state to legalize hastening death when death is inevitable?

Your questions and comments are welcome via phone, email and via Twitter during the Live Broadcast.

Phone Lines:
462-5000 on Oahu or 800-238-4847 on the Neighbor Islands.

Meet an unforgettable mother-daughter duo facing tough choices as they age. Mimi is 92 years old and still caring for her mentally disabled 64-year-old daughter Dona. Now Mimi’s family has decided that she can no longer care for Dona, and Dona must leave home to live in a state-run institution. After 64 years, Mimi will have an empty nest and Dona will suddenly be on her own.

Americans are living longer than ever before, and soon older adults will outnumber the young. Today, family caregivers are providing 90 percent of parent care, in addition to balancing work and family, a job most cannot afford to do. This phenomenon is faced by millions of baby boomers who are approaching retirement themselves, and who are also grappling with the responsibilities of one or both of their parents’ care. The program explores the emotional, health and financial challenges that many caregivers face every day and offers some solutions and tips to help others embarking on this new future.

What options do we have to ensure our lives end in a dignified manner? How can we guarantee our comfort when faced with assisted living or hospice care? What rights do we have as we face the end of our lives? What choices are available to those who are terminally ill? On the next INSIGHTS on PBS Hawai‘i, Malia Mattoch moderates a discussion on the question: What are our options as our lives end? Guests: Patricia Camero, Executive Director, Good Samaritan Pohai Nani; Lori Protzman, Advanced Care Planning Coordinator, Queens Medical Center; and Dr. Rae Seitz, Medical Director, HMSA Department of Quality Management.